A typical network requires the use of one or more servers to store, distribute and process data. Furthermore, the network implements a backup system to save data in the event a server loses data whether it be due to a virus, software issue or hardware failure. Although the data is backed up, that does not remedy the problem of the server being inaccessible as a result of a malfunction. Once a server fails, an administrator has to replace the server with another server which is a process that could take a few hours or days if a new server needs to be purchased. With a server down, data stored on that server is likely inaccessible which causes problems such as a website being unavailable. It has been estimated that millions of dollars are lost due to system inaccessibility. Furthermore, there is a significant effect on reputation when a company's website is down. Moreover, for Local Area Networks (LANs) within an organization, a server being down would halt productivity if employees are unable to access their data.
A solution of ensuring that the server information is continuously available is to utilize a dedicated backup server for each server. While that works well with one server, it becomes a high cost solution with multiple servers as each server typically costs many thousands of dollars.